Cris, United States (he/him)

“I would tell my younger self that there's nothing wrong with you, you're not a freak, you're just trans.“

Was there a definitive moment you realized you were trans? How old were you?

The day I realized I was trans wasn't the day I realized I was a guy - it was the day I realized that holy shit, I'm actually a girl! All growing up I had a sense of myself and thought that people could see me, but all along they saw a girl. The day I realized I was trans was the day I realized that horrifying fact, and realized that who I was on the outside, the person the world saw and expected me to be, wasn't who I was on the inside.

How soon after did you start to make changes? What were these changes?

As a young person in the 80's and early 90's, I didn't have the language, much less the tools, to really understand or act on my identity. It wasn't until I went to college that I met real live queer people and first heard the word "transgender." Not long after that, I learned about transitioning, so I dropped out of school and did just that.

Have these changes started to make you feel more comfortable in your life and body?

I started T in 2001, changed my name and gender in 2002, had top surgery in 2003, and a hysto in 2017. I've never looked back.

What would you tell your younger self? Would you do anything differently?

It's not so much any particular thing I would tell my younger self - it would be even just existing for my younger self, for my younger self to see and know that people like us exist, that we're as real and as human as anyone else. I would tell my younger self that there's nothing wrong with you, you're not a freak, you're just trans.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

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Have the gender-affirming steps you’ve taken impacted your overall happiness and sense of well-being?

Yes.